title: "Letting go" coping is associated with successful IVF treatment outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether women's baseline coping strategies are associated with IVF outcomes. Psychologic factors have been found to be prospectively associated with the outcome of IVF treatments in several studies. However, the exact role of coping strategies, which are modifiable, remains unclear. Problem-focused coping may be more adaptive for controllable situations, whereas emotion-focused coping (EFC) may be more adaptive for uncontrollable situations, such as most stages of IVF treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study. Coping strategies were assessed before IVF treatment began.
  
  
  METHODS
  Infertility and IVF unit in a university-affiliated tertiary medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-eight women undergoing IVF treatment in our unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 88 women participating in the study, 23.9% became pregnant. In the male and female factor infertility groups, the EFC strategy of "letting go" was positively and significantly associated with pregnancy. Adjusting for age, cause of infertility, and number of cycles, the relative risk for pregnancy by "letting go" was 1.88 (95% confidence interval 1.1-3.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings support the notion that in the context of a low-control situation such as IVF treatment, women who try to be actively in control may pay a higher price in terms of pregnancy probabilities. Means of increasing "letting go" are discussed.
authors.affiliation: IVF and Infertility Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, Israel. Electronic address: nathalie@clalit.org.il.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rapoport-Hubschman
authors.affiliation: Brunel University, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Yori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gidron
authors.affiliation: IVF and Infertility Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Rivka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reicher-Atir
authors.affiliation: IVF and Infertility Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Onit
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sapir
authors.affiliation: IVF and Infertility Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fisch
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult